Arsenal head to San Siro with a 100% record in this edition of the UEFA Champions League as they take on Serie A leaders Inter Milan.
Two teams at the top of their leagues face each other, as Inter Milan are set to host Arsenal for a second consecutive season in the UEFA Champions League group stage. The Nerazzurri will rely on their home form as well as the fact that they defeated the Gunners last season at this very stage in the competition.
Cristian Chivu does represent a change for Inter Milan in the dugout compared to last season, but they look like much more of a unit than last season. However, they still need to crunch out results in the remaining two games of the group phase to consolidate their spot in the top eight, especially after losing back-to-back games of late in the competition.
The latest of those came against English champions Liverpool, which also ended their 18-game unbeaten run at San Siro in the Champions League. They currently sit in sixth place with 12 points, as a loss on Tuesday would put their top-eight prospects into jeopardy, as there are many teams closer to Inter Milan. Hence, Chivu will want nothing less than a win against Arsenal, which will be a big task in itself.
Inter Milan will treat this clash with Arsenal as a very serious affair, given how strong Mikel Arteta’s men have been this season. The Gunners have a 100% record in the group stages this term, winning all six of their matches so far. The latest of those came away at Club Brugge, while their six-game winning run also includes victories over Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Given Arsenal are sitting on top of their table with 18 points, and more or less guaranteed to finish in the top eight, many fans have called for Arteta to go lightweight in this clash at San Siro. It remains to be seen whether the Spanish tactician heeds the messages or goes in with the mentality to consolidate top spot in the Champions League table.
Arsenal can theoretically go soft in this game as they play the final group phase game against minnows Kairat Almaty. Given they have a seven-point gap in the Premier League, they also play Manchester United at home next, which does represent a big game and a very important one to win in their title-chasing season.
Team News & Tactics
Inter Milan
Cristian Chivu made some key decisions at the weekend by resting key men Marcus Thuram and Alessandro Bastoni for the Udinese game. That was a clear indication that the pair would start on Tuesday. Former Arsenal star Henrikh Mkhitaryan should also feature in the midfield, while Chivu will naturally select Nicolo Barella to play alongside the Armenian and Piotr Zielinski in the midfield setup.
With wing-backs Denzel Dumfries and Matteo Darmian still absent, the task on the right flank will be upon Luis Henrique to deliver. Meanwhile, the hosts are missing key man Hakan Calhanoglu in midfield, while Raffaele Di Gennaro and Tomas Palacios are also absent. However, Josep Martinez might make the bench despite an ankle issue.
Francesco Acerbi should be an option for the back three as Manuel Akanji and Alessandro Bastoni will feature there, while Federico Dimarco is likely to start in the left wing-back role. With Thuram set to start, Lautaro Martinez will retain his place after his match-winning strike against Udinese in Serie A.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Acerbi, Akanji, Bastoni; Henrique, Barella, Mkhitaryan, Zielinski, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Arsenal
The Gunners still have plenty of defensive injuries, particularly on the left-hand side, with Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie absent as things stand. There is hope the latter returns to action ahead of the weekend, but Cristhian Mosquera might feature in some capacity at San Siro after missing several weeks with an ankle problem.
The youngster was on the bench at the weekend, and should Arteta choose to rest one of his centre-backs, Mosquera could start. Myles Lewis-Skelly is expected to start at left-back despite Arteta using Jurrien Timber in the position in the last two games, which could see the Dutchman either move to the right side or sit on the bench.
Whether Ben White is in the frame to start three games in a row remains to be seen, and Timber could be an option to start at San Siro. Mikel Arteta might rotate his midfield pack for this clash, with Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi likely to make way for Christian Norgaard and Mikel Merino, while Ethan Nwaneri could also get some minutes.
Noni Madueke could start again on the right wing, while Leandro Trossard could return to the lineup on the left flank. Arteta might also completely rest Viktor Gyokeres, as Gabriel Jesus might start, while Kai Havertz is expected to feature off the bench in the second half.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Mosquera, Lewis-Skelly; Norgaard, Merino; Madueke, Eze, Trossard; Jesus
Key Stats
- Inter Milan have lost once in their last 19 games on home soil in the UEFA Champions League.
- Inter Milan have lost just once in their last eight games across all competitions since the loss Liverpool.
- Arsenal have won all of their six games in the UEFA Champions League group stage this season.
- Arsenal are unbeaten in 11 games across all competitions.
- Arsenal’s last victory away to an Italian side in the UEFA Champions League was in March 2008 (2-0 vs Milan). Since then, they have failed to win on five straight trips (D1 L4), while failing to score a single goal.
Player to Watch
Gabriel Jesus
The Brazilian international has returned to action following a serious injury suffered last January, but he has since displayed mixed form. While there have been some positive outings, mostly off the bench, Mikel Arteta is still looking for an absolute solution for his centre-forward role, particularly with Viktor Gyokeres misfiring so far since his arrival.
There is pressure on all three centre-forwards at Arsenal this term, especially now that Kai Havertz has regained fitness. With Jesus, he might start at San Siro on Tuesday, which gives him a window of opportunity to perform and inch closer to retaining his starting No.9 role for the team.
Prediction
Inter Milan 1-2 Arsenal
Inter Milan may have a good enough home form, but they have been a bit suspect when it comes to defending this term. They will also come into this clash under more pressure than their visitors, and this could be a must-win game as far as Cristian Chivu is concerned.
As for Arsenal, they could have a much relaxed approach compared to Inter Milan, and Mikel Arteta might heavily rotate his pack. Even then, the Gunners have quality across the board to nick a win at San Siro, and the Gunners could maintain their 100% record in the UEFA Champions League this season.
